ABOUT SEN. MARTINEZ

Senator Iris Y. Martinez is the first Hispanic woman elected to the Illinois State Senate and the first Latina ever appointed to senate leadership. She currently serves as Assistant Majority Leader and is a member of the Education, Energy, Gaming, Labor and Transportation committees. She was the former Chair of the Senate’s Licensed Activities and Pensions Committee.

Senator Martinez has used her leadership position in the State Senate to fight for Illinois’ most vulnerable residents including children, seniors, veterans, the homeless and working class families. She advocates for affordable housing, expanding health care access and ensuring seniors and the disabled receive proper care.

Committed to ensuring that our children are safe and healthy, Martinez hosts an annual Family Wellness and Back to School Fair, where school aged children and their families receive free health screenings, dental checkups, immunizations and backpacks.

As a member of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus, Senator Martinez has worked on initiatives that are important to minorities. She championed a law allowing non-English speaking people, as well as those who are hearing-impaired, to have an interpreter in the courtroom and fought to ensure that health care facilities treating Medicaid patients develop and implement language services.

Senator Martinez was born and raised in Chicago’s West Town community. She resides in the city’s Albany Park neighborhood and has a daughter, Jacklyn Nicole. Her district includes some of Chicago’s most diverse neighborhoods including Albany Park, Avondale, Belmont, Cragin, Hermosa, Humboldt Park, Logan Square and Portage Park.